But while texting has gotten us to trade answering
machines for emojis, when it comes to maintaining a spark, there are still
couples out there picking up their smartphones to talk — which is clearly the smart thing to do.

Saying what you mean: Sure, texting is our
primary means of getting to know someone new, and we labor over those perfectly crafted flirtations. But once you've reached a
certain point in a relationship, when the expertly-constructed text is no longer
so important and the thought of talking by phone is no longer
anxiety-inducing, phone calls are clearly the superior way to connect, as anyone who's ever struggled to make plans or
conduct a friendly chat with an iPhone keyboard knows.

That means "hey, what's up" and "whatcha up to" texts can go by the wayside.

"If I'm on the couch at home and we're having a 'how was
your day' texting chat, I'll probably just ask if I can call," Erin, 30, from
Virgina, told Mic of her standard practice.

More importantly, those stressed nights spent deciphering a single text should teach us that verbal cues are still pretty darn
important, without which we end up with the sort of vagueness and confusion we now take for granted. That's why Emma, 26, from Minnesota, told Mic she refuses to engage in marathon
texting sessions. "Some people really hate that, but I really hate trying to guess what someone means by something, or why
they haven't responded," Emma said.

Showing you care:
Beyond the clarity, calling embodies an appealingly old-school concept: making
an effort. "When you're talking
on the phone, it means that you're taking time to devote to talking to someone
in real time," Jake, 25, from Minnesota, told Mic.

The reward for that effort is a distinct level of comfort.
Thanks to email, Slack and working
remotely, we can inadvertently go an absurdly long time without
speaking to anyone, making our conversations with significant others and
close friends even more important.

And phone calls do the trick: In 2010, research from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered that girls experienced the same decreased
levels of stress whether they talked with their mothers on the phone or in
person. (The researchers are going to investigate texting next, but our guess
is it's not promising.)

Even emotion can come through on the call. A 2008 study from
the University of Portsmouth found that you can actually "hear" when
someone smiles through the phone.

Texting is fine. Texting is convenient, and safe. But those "phone people" out there are
maintaining a crucial connection that emojis don't match. "When you're just
about to go to bed and you're on the phone with your partner and you get a
sleepy 'Sleep well,'" Erin said, "it's comforting in a way a text never can be."

Erin Migdol is a freelance writer for Mic. Her writing has been featured on LAStageTimes.com, FabFitFun.com and the Huffington Post, and she is currently an assistant editor at Inside Weddings magazine. She is a UC Davis alum and resides in Los Angeles.